Warringtonfire previews grand opening event for Birchwood Park Laboratory

The £24 million fire resistance testing laboratory is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and officially opened on 2 January. To mark the launch, Warringtonfire is now inviting fire safety and construction sector professionals to the laboratory for a commemorative grand opening event on 31 January.

The event will feature a welcome address by Jo Wetz (CEO of the Element Materials Technology Group), along with other senior leaders of the company. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear a keynote speech from Paul Morrell OBE, former chief construction advisor to the Government.

The grand opening will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a guided tour of the new fire resistance testing laboratory. 120 guests are expected on the day. Delegates can look forward to lunch and networking opportunities with industry leaders and local dignitaries that will help to foster connections and generate discussions on the future of fire safety and testing.

Pressing priority

Speaking ahead of the grand opening, Leigh Hill (director of the built environment at the Element Materials Technology Group) stated: “Fire safety continues to be a pressing priority for all stakeholders working in the construction industry. We took the decision many years ago to invest in this new facility in order to better serve the fire safety industry, knowing full well that regulations, standards and legislation would continue to tighten in the built environment space, while products and materials would become more sophisticated. Most importantly, we wanted to provide a sustainable and future-proof solution to the well-known capacity issue present across the testing, inspection and certification industry.”

Hill added: “It’s with great pride that we can say this facility is one of the best in Europe, if not the world, and represents a significant advancement in fire safety testing, offering cutting-edge technology and enhanced capabilities to better serve our clients and the industry. We have doubled our testing capacity through this new laboratory and expect to treble that capacity by the end of 2026. More investment in the laboratory is on the way.”

Five furnaces

Currently, there are five furnaces at the Birchwood Park Laboratory. Warringtonfire will continue investing in the site by installing a further two furnaces, one vertical and one horizontal, by the end of 2026.

Products that Warringtonfire can test at the site include fire door sets, intumescent coatings on structural steelwork, fire stopping and passive fire protection products, floor and ceiling materials and glass and glazing systems.

Construction began back in July 2023, with principal contractor Tilbury Douglas leading the build process. During the construction phase, Warringtonfire and Tilbury Douglas were awarded a Considerate Constructors Scheme Bronze Award for the project’s commitment to sustainability, respect for the community, care for the environment and value for the workforce.

As part of the expansion, a total of 50 new positions have been filled, with maintenance engineers, technical officers and technical assistant roles among the job opportunities created.

Meanwhile, Warringtonfire’s Holmesfield Road testing site will become a Centre of Excellence for Resistance to Fire testing.

In conclusion, Hill commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming our colleagues, customers and industry peers to our official launch ceremony. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and also to look forward. Our core purpose at the Element Materials Technology Group is ‘Making Tomorrow Safer Than Today’. On the day, we hope to not only show how we fulfil this promise, but also listen to everyone’s views and feedback such that we can then further improve our own services and offering.”

*Further information is available online at www.warringtonfire.com